THE FARMER AND THE CAT

An old farmer, nearing death
And fearing that
The air and earth were too,
And wanting to bear witness
(He believing that
It ain't no mystery;
Folks who don't know history
Are bound to see it repeated),
Told the plaster cat seated
By his bed
(Who suffered from a mild
Attention deficit disorder)
That on the Oklahoma border,
In the 1930's,
Big 'black blizzards'
Carried off the topsoil.
Week in, week out, he told her,
Them big blizzards tore
Across the land, suckin' up
A loam so rich and dark
The sky turned black
-- a awesome sight --
And in Chicago and New York
Day turned to night.

The farmer closed his eyes.
He was so tired;
Friend, go tell the people,
Tell the politicians
That they must...
And he expired.

The cat was stirred;
No greater challenge
Had a plaster cat yet heard.
You rest in peace, old man,
And take my word:
First big black lizard
I see suckin' soil is history,
She purred.

 

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